Lorde

New Zealand’s Lorde arrived on the scene in 2013 so self aware and fully formed as an artist that it shocked most first-time listeners to learn that the dramatic, goth-looking singer was just 16 years old. Born Ella Yelich-O'Connor in 1996 to a poet and civil engineer, she was 5 when she first realized that she loved performing. After winning a school talent show, she signed a development deal at age 13. Her first EP, ‘The Love Club,’ featured the song that would break her worldwide, deliver her first U.S. No. 1 and win two Grammys: ‘Royals.’ The tune would be added to her debut album, the critically acclaimed ‘Pure Heroine.’ The album also was an overwhelming commercial success, hitting No. 1 in several countries and peaking at No. 3 in the United States.